Fresh off signing a “Clean Slate” law that puts the records of criminals off limits to prospective employers and the general public, Gov. Hochul vetoed a bill that would have established a task force to combat retail theft. The measure, which received support from both sides of the aisle in the legislature, was drafted in response to shoplifters and smash-and-grab thieves emboldened by Hochul and her Progressive Democrat colleagues who have unleashed a crime wave on the state through their soft-on-crime policies.
“Retailers throughout the state are extremely disappointed to learn that Governor Hochul vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have established the New York State Organized Retail Crime Task Force,” said Melissa O’Connor, President and CEO of the Retail Council of New York State. “Stores that invest in New York communities lose $4.4 billion to retail theft, and this illegal activity certainly has community safety implications.”
The public has been increasingly shocked by videos of blatant thefts where organized gangs descend on a store and walk casually out with bags stuffed with high-priced goods. Clerks are advised not to confront the thieves, who help themselves to anything they want, knowing there would be no consequences. Thanks to New York’s bail laws, anyone actually apprehended for stealing is let go with no bail and have their charges dropped by prosecutors such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who announced he will not pursue cases involving theft and many other types of crime in the city.
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| NYS Governor Kathy Hochul File Photo |
Politicians such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) have argued that economic conditions, especially those confronting minorities, have made it necessary to shoplift in order for them to survive. Others reject her theory, saying that many of the thefts are crimes of opportunity by criminals taking advantage of the lax criminal justice laws promoted by Ocasio-Cortez and the Progressive left. Ironically, the policies of the Progressives are chiefly responsible for the inflation, drug infiltration, crime, and other issues that are suppressing the residents they purport to represent.
The bill rejected by Hochul would have established a task force to provide the governor and the legislature with information on organized retail crime and various countermeasures to reduce losses from these crimes. It would have consisted of 15 members named by the governor with recommendations from the Retail Council and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, as well as appointees from the Senate and Assembly. The task force would have been charged with reviewing laws and regulations on organized retail crime; report on the impact of organized retail crime on tax receipts, employee, and community safety; promote coordination of public education and outreach and prevention programs for business owners; and make legislative and regulatory recommendations to increase transparency and security, enhance consumer protections, prevent organized retail crime, and to address the long-term economic impact related to the prevalence of organized retail crime, according to the bill.